Can acupuncture be an effective therapy for treating osteoporosis?

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine suggested that acupuncture is an effective therapy for treating osteoporosis. The review’s findings found that different forms of acupuncture are more effective than Western medicine.

Researchers from Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China assessed the efficacy of acupuncture as a clinical treatment for osteoporosis.

The researchers reviewed 35 studies involving a total of 3,014 patients.

These studies were randomized controlled trials that compared warm acupuncture, needling, or electroacupuncture with sole Western medicine for the treatment of osteoporosis.

The results showed that warm acupuncture could increase the bone mineral density of lumbar and femur, as well as the levels of calcium and estradiol, compared to sole Western medicine.

Warm acupuncture could also reduce pain and level of alkaline phosphatase.